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I possess some opinions regarding that comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {